Reviewed by: Kayla Joy Houvenagle, professional writing major at Taylor University

Introduction

Title: A Most Incredible Witness

Author: Emily L. Pittsford

Publisher: WestBow Press, a division of Thomson Nelson & Zondervan

Publication Date: Aug 19, 2015

Format: Paperback

Length: 114 pages

OVERVIEW

The book A Most Incredible Witness tells the true story of the Pittsford family losing its son and brother Timothy (nicknamed Timmy Tough Bob) to death without warning. Told through the eyes of his mother Emily, this book reveals the many emotions and reactions of the family Timothy left behind. It also talks about his journey to adulthood and the events leading up to his death. By talking at length about Timothy’s personality and his past, Emily Pittsford makes the audience really care about her son and grieve over his death. As a reader, I almost felt that I knew him as a friend.

The book’s pacing, however, was sometimes slow, and the book was often vague about why the Pittsford children were slipping away from God and their parents. While leaving out some sensitive information is common in emotional nonfiction books, it still keeps the reader from completely connecting with the family, especially the kids. The sentence structures in A Most Incredible Witness sometimes don’t make sense, and several imply that the author forgot to finish, or at least edit, the sentence (especially in the second half of the book).

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

3 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience

Adult women

Christian Impact

Emily describes her and the Pittsford family’s struggle with trusting God in the wake of Timothy’s death. She explains how they found peace through trusting God even in the aftermath of her son’s death and the questions surrounding it. Timothy’s mother also describes how their Christian friends and family came through for them during the days and weeks after Timothy’s death. Partly because of this massive amount of support, she and her family came out of the pain with a strengthened faith in God.

Kayla Joy Houvenagle is majoring in professional writing at Taylor University. She is a freelance writer for The Waynedale News.

Interested in reviewing a book, movie, album, or other type of media for our website? We would love to hear from you! Find out more about how to submit media reviews.